Board of directors

Benoit La Salle, FCPA, MBA has over 25 years of experience in the development and operation of mining projects in West Africa. In 1995, he founded Canadian-based SEMAFO Inc., which grew from a junior explorer to a +250,000 ounce-per-year gold producer in West Africa. Mr. La Salle has been, and remains, a key stakeholder, investor, chair, board member or an executive of multiple public and private sector companies, primarily in the mining, energy and clean tech sectors where he has been a strong proponent of transformational change and shareholder value creation.

An entrepreneur in the life sciences field, Robert Taub is also an investor in a number of pharmaceutical and medical device companies. He was previously the CEO and founder of a NASDAQ-listed company and is currently an investor and chair of another NASDAQ-listed firm. Mr. Taub holds a BA in Languages from the University of Antwerp (Belgium) and an MBA from INSEAD (Fontainebleau, France).

Dr. Hambrecht served BASF SE in various capacities around the world for over 40 years, lastly as CEO and Chairman of the Supervisory Board. He served on a multitude of boards including Daimler Truck AG, Mercedes Benz AG, Bosch, Lufthansa AG, and Fuchs SE. Currently, he is Chairman of Trumpf SE. Dr. Hambrecht obtained his doctorate in chemistry in 1975 from University of Tübingen, Germany.

With more than 20 years of finance experience as a CPA, Natacha Garoute has developed a strong focus in mining and publicly listed corporations with international exposure. Currently, she is CFO of Patriot Battery Metals Inc. Prior to then, Ms. Garoute was Chief Financial Officer of Champion Iron Limited and Roxgold Inc., Corporate Controller at SEMAFO Inc., and held senior positions at Canadian National Railway Inc and PwC. Ms. Garoute holds a Bachelor of Commerce from the University of Québec in Montréal and a law degree from the University of Montréal.

Yves Grou is a CPA CA, having received his Bachelor in Commerce degree from McGill University. He is a member of the Québec Institute of Chartered Professional Accountants. He was co-founder in 1980 and a partner until 2004 of GLA. At GLA, Mr. Grou coordinated and led the reverse take-over process related to several public companies, having completed several transactions with mining, oil and gas, telecommunications and medical devices companies. In 2004, GLA was sold to an accounting firm.

Annie Torkia Lagacé brings over 20 years of legal and financial experience, mainly within the mining and aerospace sectors. Up to recently, Ms. Torkia Lagacé held the position of Senior-Vice President, Legal Affairs, General Counsel and Corporate Secretary of Bombardier Inc. Prior to that, she held several positions at Stornoway Diamonds, including Executive Vice-President, Finance and Corporate Services, and practiced law for more than 12 years in two leading Canadian law firms. Previously, Ms. Torkia Lagacé served on the ESG steering committee of Bombardier Inc. She holds a civil law degree and a common law degree from University of Ottawa as well as an EMBA from the Schulich School of Business in Toronto and the Kellogg School of Management in Chicago.

Eloïse Martin has over fifteen years of experience in project finance, structured finance, and capital structuring advisory with a focus on the energy and natural resources sector. Currently, she is self-employed. Previously, Ms. Martin was an Executive Director with HCF International Advisers and a member of the project finance advisory team at ING focusing on large-scale energy and natural resources projects. Ms. Martin holds an MBA from ESSEC Graduate School of Management, Paris, as well as a Master of International Business (Hons) from L’Institut d’Études Politiques (Paris), and a Master of Humanities from Sorbonne University.

Nikolaos Sofronis is founder of BS Family Office Assets Management S.A Geneva, specializing in private equity. He gained his over 16 years of experience in private banking in the most prestigious institutions in Luxembourg and Switzerland. Previously, Mr. Sofronis served as chair of a London-listed corporation. For the last 20 years, he has been actively involved in the mining sector.